Mechanism for feeding and inking typewriter ribbons



Nov. 5, '1935. cs. 5. BRODD 2,019,805

MECHANISM FOR FEEDI NG AND INKING TYPEWRITER RIBBONS Filed Nov. 22, 195s 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Nov. 5, 1935. I G. s. BRODD 2,019,805

MECHANISM FOR FEEDING AND INKING TYPEWRITEH RIBBONS Filed Nov. 22, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "nun". :ZT. -IIIIIIIIIIIII- I mun-u JIII HIIIIIIIIIIIIHI lzzvc uiol,

Patented Nay. 5, 1935 toasts,

UNITED 1 STATES PATENT emee George 8. we. Chica o. Ill Man r t Roll-J.

Application November as, loss. set-u N 0902191 "-0 Claims. :(Cl. 91-111) My present invention relates to improvements in a mechanism for feeding and inking a typewriter ribbon. I have illustrated my invention in conjunction with a manifolding attachment for a typewriter employing an inked ribbon, which attachment is similar in many respects to the structure illustrated and described in the application for. United States Letters Patent of Harold Thomas Mosfelt and Harold Schagerholm for an improvement in Manifolding apparatus, filed February 20, 1933, Serial No. 657,534, now Patent Number 1,942,722, issued January 9, 1934.

I conceived that certain important advantages could be obtained by or through the employment of a plastic, as distinguished from a gravity feeding ink, in the inking of typewriter ribbons and as the structure of the above referred to application'was not adapted to the employment of a plastic, as distinguished from a gravity feeding ink, I developed the mechanism hereinafter illustrated and described in which I have not only provided instrumentalities for feeding a plastic ink but I have also somewhat simplified the mechanism for feeding the ribbon and have further provided a dependable mechanical mechanism for controlling the amount of ink fed.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a top plan of a manifolding attachment for a typewriter with which my invention is associated.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the structurev shown in Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is an end view of the structuresshown in Figs. 1 and 2 looking to the left.

Fig. 4 is a view of the opposite side of the strucj-tture shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section, to an enlarged scale, online 55 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Similar reference characters refer to similar" parts throughout the respective views.

The manifolding apparatus with which my present'invention is associated consists of a rectangular framecomprisinga rear longitudinal" rod in and a, front bar. held in spaced relation by adjustable end members 12 and I3. From the rear portions of the end frame members I 2 and l3 are developed bifurcated or slotted brackets l4 which engage portions of the conventional platen carriage of the typewriter. Upon .the right hand portion of the front frame bar H is slidably mounted a spring pressed ribbon holding and tensioning arm Ila, outside of which, and laying parallel therewith is a stationary shieldholdin'g 20 to a portion of the casing IS. The ribbon guide arms I! and it both have the elevational outline best seen in Fig.2 so that there is provided in the ends of the ribbon guide arms II I and [8 an angular recess through which the inked l ribbon extending'longitudinally across the front of the frame to the tensioning arm Ila is turned at right angles so as toenter and emerge from.

'- the casing l6.v The depending arm Ila u'ponthe outside of the angular recess is employed tohold, in co-operation withthe-"flxed armv li,.a ribbon' shield when such a ribbon shield is desired.' Instead of carrying the ribbon, after it'enters the casing 16-, around the large roller to which ink is fed, as is'done in the application heretofore referred to, .I carry the ribbon, as most clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 7, around a relatively small roller 2| which rotates upon a shaft 22 fixedly. secured to the free end of an arm 23, theopposite end of which is pivoted upon a stud bolt 24'pro-' 'Jecting from the side wall of the casing I6. In the rear end of the casing l6 and in contact with j the outer .wall thereof is an ink. reservoir 25 pro j vided with a tuner. opening onthe top thereof closed-by as'crew plug 26. .The front vertical wall of "the ink' reservoir 25 has a semi circular or arcuate recessor depression 21 formed therein, into which depression is fitted a surface layer o felting 22. In. the arcuatefdepression in the wall of the ink reservoir'is an aperture 29 andloppoa site't ithe aperture29'the felting 2a is punctured so as to permitthe passage therethrough of thelower-turned end of the feed Will. The conslstency of the plasticjink'which I employ issuch that it will not pass by gravity or capillarity through the puncture in the felting 2s opposite the aperture 29 in the wall of the ink reservoir but the plastic ink is nevertheless of such a viscid nature that minute quantities thereof adhere to the feeding bar 30 as it is thrust through the perforation" in-the-feiting and" it adheres to a roller .5.

3| as it is brought in contacttherewith by means of the feed bar 30. The-felting 28against which the'periphery' of'theirollerii has light contact assists in-uniformlyf distributing the'ink upon the surface oftheflroller 2i. I 4 l6 the portion of its upper edge a rack 34 which meshes with a gear fixed to a ratchet 38. Upon the outer end of the inking wheel 3| is fixedly secured a gear 31 to which is pivoted a dog or detent 38 so that when the slide 32 is forced into the casing IS the gear 35 will be rotatcd together with the ratchet 38 fixedly secured thereto and the rotation of the ratchet 38 through the action of the pawl 38 will cause the rotation of the gear 31, but when the slide 32 is projected from the casing by the action of the spring 39 the ratchet38 will pass under the pawl 38 without rotating the gear 31. Upon the end of the roller 2| around which theribbon passes is secured a gear 40 which meshes with the gear 31 so as to rotate the rollers 2| and 3| simultaneously in opposite directions, which, together with the fact that the pull of the ribbon swings the roller 2| about the pivot 24 as a center toward the roller 3| and increases the grip of the rollers as the tension on the ribbon increases.

Upon the slide 32, to the rear of the rack 34, is provided an integral upstanding dog or detent 4| which, when the slide 34 is pressed into the casing i8, engages the depending end of the ortion of the ink feed bar 38 which extends ou do of the ink reservoir so as to retract the inner laterally turned end of the feed bar 30 from the perforation in the felting 28. The shape and disposition of the ink feed bar 33 is best seen in Figs. 5, 6 and '7.

It will be seen from Fig. 6 that the feed bar is of a substantially U-shaped form and that while the arms of the U move in parallel planes, when viewed transversely of these planes, as shown in Fig. 7, the arms form an angle with one another. The depending end of the inner arm is bent laterally to pass through the aperture 29 in the recessed ink reservoir well 21 and the perforation in the felt layer 28. The portion of the U which joins the arms thereof passes through an aperture above the ink level in the ink reservoir and has fixedly secured thereto a disk 42 over which is carried a spring 43,,-one end of which is secured to the externally depending arm oi the ink feed bar 38 and the other end whereof is secured by a nut 44 to the adjacent wall of the ink reservoir 25. when the slide 32 is projected from the casing |8 through the action of the spring 39 the exterior depending end of the ink feed bar which the projection or detent 4| has forced rearwardly, is permitted .to move forwardly again under the action of the spring 43 which movement carries a quantity of the viscid plastic ink on the inner turned end of the ink feed bar through the aperture 28 and through the perforation in the layer of felt 28 into contact with the roller 3|. This happens each time the slide 32 is moved which is actuated by the line shift lever of the typewriter (not shown). The amount of ink adhering to the inner laterally turned end of the ink feed.

48 extending from an eccentric point in the disk 48 across the path of the exterior arm of the ink feed bar 38. The shaft upon which the disk is mounted extends through the wall of the casing l8 and upon the outside thereof is pro vided with an arm 41, by the rotation of which the extentof travel of the ink feed arm 38 may 5 be controlled. I have made the arm 41 of spring material and the unattached end thereof is provided with a pin 48, the outer portion of which constitutes a manipulating handle and the inner portion of which constitutes a projection which lo,

. much decreased and the liability to smearing is 20 reduced. I have also found that the regulation of ink feed, as herein illustrated and described, is much more dependable than can be anticipated when a fluid or semi-fluid ink is employed.

Having described my invention what I claim 25 as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Mechanism for feeding and inking typewriter ribbons comprising a revolvably mounted roller about which a ribbon is adapted to be passed.

a second roller revolvably mounted adjacent said 30 first mentioned roller, an inkreservoir having a recess in the wall thereof, which recess constitutes a portion of the path of rotation of said second roller, a felted lining for said recess and a perforation in the recessed wall of said ink reser- $5 voir, said felted lining being punctured opposite said perforation, an ink feed bar pivotally mounted within said ink reservoir and movable to enter and withdraw from the perforation in the wall thereof and the puncture in said felting and 40 means for simultaneously rotating said rollers in opposite directions and oscillating said ink feed bar.

2. Mechanism for feeding and inking typewriter ribbons comprising a pair of co-operating 4.5 rollers around one of which a ribbon is adapted to be led, an ink reservoir, a portion of which lies parallel to and adjacent the path of revolution of one of said rollers, said reservoir having a port therein opposite the roller adjacent thereto, 50 an ink feed bar movably mounted within said reservoir and adapted to enter and withdraw from said port and means for simultaneously rotating said rollers in opposite directions and oscillating said feed bar.

3. Mechanism for feeding and inking typewriter ribbons comprising a pair of co-operating rollers around one of which a ribbon is adapted to be led, an ink reservoir, a portion of which lies parallel to and adjacent the path of revolution 50 of one of said rollers, said reservoirhaving a port therein opposite the roller adjacent thereto, an ink feed bar movably mounted within said reservoir and adapted to enter and withdraw from said port, means for simultaneously rotating said rollers in opposite directions and oscillating said feed bar, and means for adjusting the latitude of oscillation of said feed bar.

4. Mechanism for feeding and inking typewriter ribbons comprising an inking roller, an ink 10 reservoir, a portion of which lies parallel to and adjacent the path of revolution of said roller, said reservoir having a port therein opposite said roller. an ink feed bar movably mounted within said reservoir and adapted to enter and be withdrawn 18 aoiaeoe drawn from said port, means for rotating said roller, means for reciprocating said feed bar and means for adjusting the latitude of reciprocation of said'ieed bar.

ii. Mechanism for reading and inking typewriter riiobons comprising an inking roller, an ink reservoir, a portion of which lies parallel to and adjacent the path of revolution of said roller,

7 felting interposed between the adjacent portions of said reservoir and said roller, said reservoir having a port therein opposite said roller and said felting being punctured opposite said port. an ink feed bar movably mounted within said reservoir and adapted to enter and be withdrawn from said port, means for rotating said roller, means for reciprocating said teed bar.

GEORGE S. iBRODD. 

